Using global mutex

[Richard]

Hi,

I asked that question a while ago but I did not get any anwser.
I am using apr global mutex to synchronize across both processes and threads. But the global mutex is not giving me mutual exclusion. I am not sure if I am using the apr library calls correctly. Is that the way things should be called ? Can someone please confirm ?

1.) apr_global_mutex_create() should be called only once by the first process to use the mutex. Then, subsequent processes that want to use the global mutex should call the function apr_global_mutex_child_init().
2.) The pool argument passed to apr_global_mutex_create() and apr_global_mutex_child_init() in question#1 above is just a regular pool that is local to each process.
3.) When everything is done, each process has to invoke apr_global_mutex_destroy().

Do the processes using the global mutex have to be related in a parent-children relationship ? I mean can one process create the global mutex and then a totally separate process (i.e. not a child of the 1st one) do a call to apr_global_mutex_child_init() on the global mutex ?

Thanks
Richard